During the PATA Chapter Colloquium held at Jinjiang Hotel in Chengdu on Saturday, PATA CEO, Martin Craigs, emphasised the importance of local chapter support for the Bangkok-based association.
PATA is “reconnecting with the European chapter”, with Daniela Wagner, co-founder of London-based eWaterways, appointed the coordinator of PATA Europe, while the South Korea and Japan chapters will be prioritised for revival next year, Craigs added.
Ivy Chee, the association’s regional director of East Asia, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Our focus last year was South-east Asia, so next year we will give more attention to North-east Asia.”
To strengthen PATA’s profile, roundtable discussions will be organised with local members, which will offer opportunities to engage with non-members and show support to NTOs in these destinations.
Shigeo Adachi, chairman of PATA Japan Chapter, hailed the interest boost from the headquarters as “a good opportunity” that would pave the way for the 40-member chapter to build up its membership again, which stood at 200 members strong in 2000.
Meanwhile, the PATA UAE Chapter is set to launch on September 25, while the PATA Laos chapter soft-launched earlier this year during the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Vientiane and is on its way to becoming a full-fledged chapter.
During the colloquium, PATA members present also urged the headquarters to share member kits and resources in order for local chapters to engage with their members more effectively.
In addition, Meanwhile, PATA will boost its support for its Myanmar chapter to assist the country along a sustainable path of development. Chee revealed: “We are working closely with the Asian Development Bank on the Myanmar tourism masterplan and are involved with Dusit International to establish a hospitality school in Myanmar, as well as planning more roundtable discussions in the country next year.”
In addition, PATA continues to spread its wings further to expand the association’s outreach. PATA UAE Chapter is set to launch on September 25, while PATA Laos chapter soft-launched earlier this year during the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Vientiane and is on its way to becoming a full-fledged chapter.
In recognition of Russia’s immense outbound potential and its importance as a visitor source market for many Asian countries, PATA has alsoready drawn up plans to visit and organise roundtable discussions in Russia from 1Q2014.
-TTG Asia
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